Le Cirque's Pasta Primavera

lecirquepastaprimavera

INGREDIENTS

Yield: serves 4-6

  • 6 tbsp. olive oil

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 6 oz. button mushrooms, quartered

  • 1 cup asparagus tips, blanched

  • 1 cup small broccoli florets, blanched

  • 1/2 cup frozen peas, blanched

  • 1 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise, cut to 1" lengths, blanched

  • 1 lb. spaghetti, cooked al dente

  • 1 cup heavy cream

  • 2/3 cup grated Parmesan

  • 2 tbsp. unsalted butter

  • Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

  • 2 tbsp. thinly shredded basil

  • 1/2 cup lightly toasted pine nuts (optional)

Preparation

  1. Heat 5 tbsp. oil in a 12" skillet over medium heat. Add 2/3 of the garlic; cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook until golden, about 3 minutes. Add asparagus, broccoli, peas, and zucchini; cook 3 minutes. Add pasta, cream, Parmesan, and butter, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine; transfer to a platter.

  2. Bring remaining oil and garlic, tomatoes, and basil to a simmer over medium heat; pour over pasta; garnish with nuts.

Recipe Notes

This morning I read the sad news that the charismatic restaurateur, Sirio Maccioni, had passed away. His Manhattan restaurant, Le Cirque, was known for attracting New York power brokers, celebrities and socialites. Legend has it, Sirio was also the inventor of Pasta Primavera, a dish that has become ubiquitous with Italian-American cuisine. Today, you’ll find a thousand different ways to make pasta primavera but this recipe is the exact way they prepared it at Le Cirque. It was never listed on the official menu, but the waiters would prepare it table side for anyone who requested it. Feel free to use any pasta shape that you have on hand along with whatever vegetables your prefer, in any proportion that suits your fancy. Want more mushrooms vs. broccoli, go right on ahead. This recipe can also be scaled up or down. If you’re concerned about the calories from the cream, I suppose you can substitute a portion or all of it for chicken stock but then it won’t be the Le Cirque recipe. Lastly, you can use the same boiling water for the pasta that you blanch your veggies in to save an extra step.

Check out this interview with Sirio’s son, Marco Maccioni, giving the origin story for Pasta Primavera and how is father came to create it.

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